“Bridging the Gap: A Young People’s Guide to Living in Japan” was published in 2021 by Kakehashi and in partnership with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. This guide book is available in three languages; English, Tagalog and Japanese. 

Chapters include the following;

• Japan at a Glance
• A Brief History of Japan
• Japan and Philippines Migration: Highlights
• Checklist
• The Japanese People and their Culture: An Overview
• Fitting in: About Japanese Customs and Manners
• Joining a Community
• Staying in Touch
• Going Places
• Learning Nihongo, the Japanese Language
• Going to School: About Japanese Schools and the Education System
• Finding a Job and Adjusting to the Japanese Workplace
• Staying Well: The Japanese Health Insurance System
• Staying Safe: Emergency Readiness
• Law and Order
• Legal Ways of Staying in Japan
• Useful Expressions
• Help Desk Directory

Kakehashi means “bridge that links” in Japanese. In 2017, a number of Tokyo-based Filipinos who were concerned about the rising number of cases of maladaptive behaviors involving Filipino young adults living in Japan, some of which attracted the media attention, decided to form a group which they called “Kakehashi”. To date, in keeping with their name, Kakehashi continues to network with various Filipino, Japanese, and international groups with similar goals both in Japan and abroad.

In 2020, Kakehahi began working on the handbook, Bridging the Gap, intended to be a guide for children and youth planning on moving to Japan and those who are already in Japan to help them adapt to their new lives. Prior to this, they conducted two focus group discussions, one with children and youth and the other with mothers, to find out more about their situations in Japan and what they wish to be done to improve them. This was followed by a needs-assessment survey with wider Filipino communities in Japan.

The results of this survey can be found here.

The handbook can be downloaded in English, Tagalog, or Japanese here.

More information about Kakehashi can be found here.